{"674725":{"#nid":"674725","#data":{"type":"news","title":"From Brewery to Biofilter: Making Yeast-Based Water Purification Possible","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWhen looking for an environmentally friendly and cost-effective way to clean up contaminated water and soil, Georgia Tech researchers \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research.gatech.edu\/patritsia-stathatou\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPatricia Stathatou\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;and \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ae.gatech.edu\/directory\/person\/christos-e-athanasiou\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EChristos Athanasiou\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E turned to yeast. A cheap byproduct from fermentation processes \u2014 e.g., something your local brewery discards in mass quantities after making a batch of beer \u2014 yeast is widely known as an effective biosorbent. Biosorption is a mass transfer process by which an ion or molecule binds to inactive biological materials through physicochemical interactions.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhen they \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s43247-022-00463-0\u0022\u003Einitially studied this process\u003C\/a\u003E, Stathatou and Athanasiou found that yeast can effectively and rapidly remove trace lead \u2014 at challenging initial concentrations below one part per million \u2014 from drinking water. Conventional water treatment methods either fail to eliminate lead at these low levels or result in high financial and environmental costs to do so. In a paper published today in \u003Cem\u003ERSC Sustainability\u003C\/em\u003E, the researchers show how this process can be scaled.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIf you put yeast directly into water to clean it, you will need an additional treatment step to remove the yeast from the water afterward,\u201d said Stathatou, a research scientist at the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research.gatech.edu\/rbi\u0022\u003ERenewable Bioproducts Institute\u003C\/a\u003E and an incoming assistant professor at the \u003Ca href=\u0022chbe.gatech.edu\u0022\u003ESchool of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E. \u201cTo implement this process at scale without requiring additional separation steps, the yeast cells need a housing.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cAdditionally, because yeast is abundant\u2014 in some cases, brewers even pay companies to haul it away as a waste byproduct \u2014 this process gives the yeast a second life,\u201d said Athanasiou, an assistant professor in the \u003Ca href=\u0022ae.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EDaniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E. \u201cIt\u2019s a plentiful low, or even negative, value resource, making this purification process inexpensive and scalable.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo develop a housing for the yeast, Stathatou and Athanasiou partnered with MIT chemical engineers Devashish Gokhale and Patrick S. Doyle. Gokhale and Stathatou are the lead authors of this new study that demonstrates the yeast water purification process\u2019s scalability.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe decided to make these hollow capsules\u2014 analogous to a multivitamin pill \u2014 but instead of filling them up with vitamins, we fill them up with yeast cells,\u201d Gokhale said. \u201cThese capsules are porous, so the water can go into the capsules and the yeast are able to bind all of that lead, but the yeast themselves can\u2019t escape into the water.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe yeast-laden capsules are sufficiently large, about half a millimeter in diameter, for easy separation from water by gravity. This means they can be used to make packed-bed bioreactors or biofilters, with contaminated water flowing through these hydrogel-encased yeast cells and coming out clean.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EStathatou and Athanasiou envision using these hydrogel yeast capsules in small biofilters consumers can put on their kitchen faucets, or biofilters large enough to fit municipal or industrial wastewater treatment systems. But to enable such scalability, the yeast-laden capsules\u2019 ability to withstand the force generated by water flowing inside such systems needed to be studied as well.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo determine this, Athanasiou tested the capsules\u2019 mechanical robustness, which is how strong and sturdy they are in the presence of waterflow forces. He found they can withstand forces like those generated by water running from a faucet, or even flows like those in water treatment plants that serve a few hundred homes. \u201cIn previous attempts to scale up biosorption with similar approaches, lack of mechanical robustness has been a common cause of failure,\u201d Athanasiou said. \u201cWe wanted to make sure our work addressed this issue from the very beginning to ensure scalability.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cAfter assessing the mechanical robustness of the yeast-laden capsules, we made a prototype biofilter using a 10-ml syringe,\u201d Stathatou explained. \u201cThe initial lead concentration of water entering the biofilter was 100 parts per billion; we demonstrated that the biofilter could treat the contaminated water, meeting EPA drinking water guidelines, while operating continuously for 12 days.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe researchers hope to identify ways to isolate and collect specific contaminants left behind in the filtering yeast, so those too can be used for other purposes.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cApart from lead, which is widely used in systems for energy generation and storage, this process could be used to remove and recover other metals and rare earth elements as well,\u201d Athanasiou said. \u201cThis process could even be useful in space mining or other space applications.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThey also would like to find a way to keep reusing the yeast. \u201cBut even if we can\u2019t reuse yeast indefinitely, it is biodegradable,\u201d Stathatou noted. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t need to be put into an industrial composter or sent to a landfill. It can be left on the ground, and the yeast will naturally decompose over time, contributing to nutrient cycling.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis circular approach aims to reduce waste and environmental impact, while also creating economic opportunities in local communities. Despite numerous lead contamination incidents across the U.S., the team\u2019s successful biosorption method notably could benefit low-income areas historically burdened by pollution and limited access to clean water, offering a cost-effective remediation solution. \u201cWe think there\u2019s an interesting environmental justice aspect to this, especially when you start with something as low-cost and sustainable as yeast, which is essentially available anywhere,\u201d Gokhale says.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMoving forward, Stathatou and Athanasiou are exploring other uses for their hydrogel-yeast purification method. The researchers are optimistic that, with modifications, this process can be used to remove additional inorganic and organic contaminants of emerging concern, such as PFAS \u2014 or \u201cforever\u201d chemicals \u2014 from the water or the ground.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003ECitation: Devashish Gokhale, Patritsia M. Stathatou, Christos E. Athanasiou, and Patrick S. Doyle, \u201cYeast-laden Hydrogel Capsules for Scalable Trace Lead Removal from Water,\u201d \u003Cem\u003ERSC Sustainability\u003C\/em\u003E. DOI:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFunding: Patricia Stathatou was supported by funding from the Renewable Bioproducts Institute at Georgia Tech. Devashish Gokhale was supported by the Rasikbhai L. Meswani Fellowship for Water Solutions and the MIT Abdul Latif Jameel Water and Food Systems Lab (J-WAFS).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech and MIT researchers have developed a novel water purification technique using hydrogel capsules filled with brewer\u2019s yeast, a cost-effective biosorbent, to remove trace lead from contaminated water. Their study demonstrates this purification method\u0027s potential for large-scale application.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"A team of Georgia Tech and MIT researchers found that discarded brewer\u2019s yeast, when encased in hydrogel capsules, becomes a viable and inexpensive method for purifying contaminated water."}],"uid":"28766","created_gmt":"2024-05-15 00:33:33","changed_gmt":"2024-06-10 20:29:32","author":"Shelley Wunder-Smith","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2024-05-15T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2024-05-15T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"674026":{"id":"674026","type":"image","title":"Patricia Stathatou\u00a0and Christos Athanasiou","body":"\u003Cp\u003EPatricia Stathatou\u0026nbsp;and Christos Athanasiou at Georgia Tech\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1715863722","gmt_created":"2024-05-16 12:48:42","changed":"1715863826","gmt_changed":"2024-05-16 12:50:26","alt":"Patricia Stathatou\u00a0and Christos Athanasiou","file":{"fid":"257490","name":"PatriciaStathatou-ChristosAthanasiou.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/05\/16\/PatriciaStathatou-ChristosAthanasiou.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/05\/16\/PatriciaStathatou-ChristosAthanasiou.png","mime":"image\/png","size":1016246,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/05\/16\/PatriciaStathatou-ChristosAthanasiou.png?itok=Dgeo8ADS"}},"674012":{"id":"674012","type":"image","title":"Patricia Stathatou","body":null,"created":"1715777548","gmt_created":"2024-05-15 12:52:28","changed":"1733765817","gmt_changed":"2024-12-09 17:36:57","alt":"Picture of Patricia Stathatou wearing a white lab coat and blue latex gloves, holding a syringe and test tube","file":{"fid":"257476","name":"Patricia.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/05\/15\/Patricia.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/05\/15\/Patricia.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":314192,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/05\/15\/Patricia.jpeg?itok=LtOu_3RZ"}},"674013":{"id":"674013","type":"image","title":"Christos Athanasiou","body":null,"created":"1715777683","gmt_created":"2024-05-15 12:54:43","changed":"1715777776","gmt_changed":"2024-05-15 12:56:16","alt":"Headshot of Christos Athanasiou in his lab, wearing a white collared shirt and white lab coat","file":{"fid":"257477","name":"Christos.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/05\/15\/Christos.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/05\/15\/Christos.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":171087,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/05\/15\/Christos.jpeg?itok=cIIhMaqr"}},"674014":{"id":"674014","type":"image","title":"Packed-bed biofilter filled with yeast-laden hydrogels","body":null,"created":"1715777827","gmt_created":"2024-05-15 12:57:07","changed":"1715777992","gmt_changed":"2024-05-15 12:59:52","alt":"Image of a kitchen faucet with a small filter that contains yeast-laden hydrogels. The filter is on the end of the faucet and there is water flowing through it into the sink.","file":{"fid":"257478","name":"Packed-bed filter with yeast-laden hydrogels.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/05\/15\/Packed-bed%20filter%20with%20yeast-laden%20hydrogels.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/05\/15\/Packed-bed%20filter%20with%20yeast-laden%20hydrogels.png","mime":"image\/png","size":5223782,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/05\/15\/Packed-bed%20filter%20with%20yeast-laden%20hydrogels.png?itok=0jalW0dM"}}},"media_ids":["674026","674012","674013","674014"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/jeffkart\/2022\/06\/13\/beer-byproduct-can-filter-lead-from-drinking-water\/?sh=1391bcc81f5e","title":"Beer Byproduct Can Filter Lead From Drinking Water"}],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"154","name":"Environment"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"},{"id":"188020","name":"go-rbi"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39491","name":"Renewable Bioproducts"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71881","name":"Science and Technology"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:shelley.wunder-smith@research.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EShelley Wunder-Smith\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EDirector of Research Communications\u003Cbr\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}